Lab Rottweiler Mix

What Are The Characteristics Of A Lab Rottweiler Mix?

Some will call it a Lab Rottweiler mix or a Lab Rottweiler cross. Others refer to the dog as a Labweiler, and still others call it a Labrottie. The latter two names are official designations given by the several national and international canine organizations that register mixed breeds. The American Canine Hybrid Club, the Designer Kennel Club, and the International Designer Canine Registry all use the term Labrottie. The Designer Breed Registry does as well, but also uses the term Labweiler. A few breeders call the dogs Rottadors or Rottwadors, but these two names are seldom used by the general public. The American Kennel Club does not recognized mixed breeds, which is to say it does not register them, so you won’t find the Lab Rottweiler listed among their records.

What do you have if you suddenly find yourself the owner of a Lab Rottweiler mix? Maybe you’ve purchased one as a puppy, or found an adult in a shelter. Maybe a well-meaning friend left the dog with you one day and never returned. Is this dog going to be easygoing and friendly as a Lab usually is, or is it a dog to be slightly feared, and one you would not like to have near children?

The Best Or Worst From Both Breeds

Anytime you get a puppy from a litter whose parents are of two different breeds, the puppy will have inherited certain characteristics from each of its two parents, both physical characteristics, and in terms of temperament. While puppies from the same litter may tend to look somewhat the same, although there can be exceptions, their temperaments may vary significantly. If you mate a Labrador Retriever with an Irish Setter, or a Beagle with a Jack Russell Terrier, you may have a reasonable idea as to the sizes and temperaments the offspring will exhibit. And, if you mate a Rottweiler with a Lab you can be fairly sure the result will be a medium to large size dog. But what about the temperament? The typical Lab is generally a very social animal, a dog who seems to love everyone it meets. The Rottweiler on the other hand tends to be much more reserved, not as social, and can sometimes be wary of strangers and overly protective of its owners.

If you listen to what owners of a Lab Rottweiler mix dog have to say, the accounts are generally quite positive. One would naturally expect what they have to say to be somewhat biased, because they probably love their pets, but there doesn’t seem to have been any real horror stories made public that are associated with this mix. While any dog’s eventual temperament may be unpredictable when it is just a puppy, how it acts as an adult will depend a great deal upon how it is brought up. If it is trained not to be aggressive, it probably will not be. If it is given the opportunity to socialize with people and other dogs when still a puppy, it will very likely accept other people and other dogs once it matures. Their owners by and large consider Lab-Rottweilers to be friendly and lovable pets. They are intelligent and observant dogs, and make good companions. But they can be protective as well, so they do need to be trained not to be aggressive.

Head Like A Lab – Body Like A Rottweiler

As far as conformation is concerned, as one would expect you can see both the Lab and the Rottweiler in these mixed breeds. The head, and particularly the muzzle, more closely resembles that of the Lab, and many of these hybrid dogs have the chocolate color associated with a Lab, and their coat is always a double coat. The hybrids are usually quite powerful in the chest, and the hindquarters also tend to be quite muscular. It’s safe to say that in most cases, the mix tends to resemble a Rottweiler more so than a Lab as far as the conformation of the body is concerned.

Is It Really A Hybrid?

When it comes to designer dogs, or hybrids, the latter term is technically incorrect, although it is widely used. A hybrid, whether we are talking about an animal or a plant, always consists of two separate species. All dogs, and certainly all domestic dogs, are of the same species, they are dogs, so from a scientific perspective it would be impossible to create a hybrid dog. A Great Dane, a Beagle, a Labrador Retriever, and a Chihuahua all belong to the same species. They are all dogs, but just different breeds of dogs.

While the term hybrid dog may be technically incorrect, the term designer dog could be seen as being somewhat unfortunate, putting man’s best friend in the same category as purses, shoes, and other accessories. There are those however who look upon their pet as an accessory of sorts, taking it wherever they go, whether on a leash, if the dog is an Afghan Hound, or in their pocket if it is a Chihuahua. Most designer dogs, or hybrids, can of course be put on a leash, while some, affectionately called “teacup dogs”, will fit into a large pocket or purse.